According to TechCrunch, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has rebuilt the company’s board after a previous attempt to place him on leave failed. The earlier board voted to put Mullenweg on paid leave, but he regained control within 33 hours and 20 minutes, leading to the resignation or removal of several directors, including founding CEO Toni Schneider, General Ann Dunwoody, Sue Decker, CFO Mark Davies, and chief legal officer Andy Missan. The company announced the new board to staff via its Slack announcements channel on Friday. Sources told TechCrunch that the board now includes American writer Hugh Howey, best‑known for the “Silo” series; Amy Chan, author of “Breakup Bootcamp”; Henry Khachatryan, co‑founder of the defunct social app IRL; and Krutal Desai, the other IRL co‑founder. IRL ceased operations after investigations found that most of its user base consisted of bots, and its founders later sued SoftBank and other investors. In addition to the directors, Automattic added advisers: former Whoop CTO Jaime Waydo, June co‑founder Matt Van Horn, and KISSmetrics co‑founder Hiten Shah. Mullenweg told employees that, for purposes of Delaware law, he holds the titles of CEO, President, Treasurer, and Secretary. He described the recent board meeting as “the most interesting board meeting in a decade (since the Woo acquisition).” In a statement confirmed after publication, Mullenweg said, “We are living through times of unprecedented change, possibly a singularity. The next six months will determine the next 20 years of Automattic.” The source notes that Mullenweg controls 84% of the voting shares, which he referenced at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. The board’s reasons for trying to oust him were never publicly shared. Mullenweg also replaced Automattic’s legal counsel after returning to control, retaining Susman Godfrey LLP as new litigation counsel amid an ongoing trademark dispute with WP Engine. In an internal message after the episode, Mullenweg acknowledged the chaos, stating that the board had acted without warning or a meaningful opportunity for him to respond, and that he had taken steps to reverse the action and resume full charge of the company.
